1999 Arts Handbook - Examination grades

Examination grades

General information
Marks and grades

General information

The following are the standard grades and associated mark ranges at Monash University:

Grades	Marks (%)
High distinction (HD)	80-100
Distinction (D)	70-79
Credit (C)	60-69
Pass (P)	50-59*
Fail (NN)	49 or below
*See section 'Marks and grades' below for minimum pass grades in each program

These marks and grades apply to those subjects where teaching concluded, and the determination of final assessment grades commenced, on 11 April 1997 or later, and for theses submitted on 11 April 1997 or later. For previous marks and grades scale, see earlier handbooks.

Marks and grades

Postgraduate diplomas, graduate diplomas, graduate certificates and faculty certificate programs

The pass mark and grade for a subject in the above programs is 50 per cent, ie a Pass (P). To meet the requirements for these programs, students must obtain a pass or better in all subjects.

Masters qualifying programs

Students undertaking a masters qualifying program (MQual), either with a research component or by coursework, must obtain at least a credit average 60 (C), in order to have satisfactorily completed the program. A weighted average will be used in the calculation, ie the mark for each subject will be considered relative to its points. Marks for subjects for which advanced standing (credit) has been granted, will not be taken into consideration in the calculation.
In some programs a minimum grade of credit 60 (C) may be required for some or all of the core subjects. Please refer to the individual programs.

Masters degrees

For students undertaking a Master of Arts, Master of Bioethics (1998 onwards) or a Master of Social Work degree, the minimum pass is a credit 60 (C). To qualify for the degree, students must have achieved a credit or better in all subjects. As from 1998 onwards, students in the Master of Environmental Science degree must obtain a credit in all core and foundation subjects (these subjects are defined by a 'c' or 'f' in the subject code) and a credit average in the degree over all the subjects - a credit average is required for the elective subjects. A credit grade must be achieved for the thesis.

Failure to submit work

Where a student has failed to submit work within three months of the date of the board of examiners' meeting which considered and awarded a withheld or deferred result for the subject in question, a grade of fail will be returned for the subject.

Thesis grades

The results of the examination of theses shall be awarded in four grades, namely fail (NN: a mark below 60), credit (C: 60-69), distinction (D: 70-79) and high distinction (HD: 80-100).
In cases where a candidate has undertaken a thesis combined with coursework subjects, the marks for the thesis and the subjects shall be taken into consideration when an overall qualifying grade for the degree is decided upon. For a Master of Arts degree student who commenced a Master of Arts degree prior to 1998, only subjects taken in part two of the masters will be taken into account.
Where a thesis is undertaken as the only component or as part of a masters degree, the thesis examiners' marks will be the major consideration when finalising the overall qualifying grade.

Grades for the award of a research masters degree

For all masters research students who have qualified for the degree, there shall be three qualifying grades, namely honours 2B (60-69), honours 2A (70-79) and honours 1 (80-100). A candidate who fails to qualify for the award will obtain the grade of fail (NN).